英语六级考试：2018年06月考试真题第3套

英语六级考试：2018年06月考试真题[第3套]PartIWriting(30minutes)Directions:Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestowriteanessayexplainingwhyitisunwisetojumptoconclusionsuponseeingorhearingsomething.Youcangiveexamplestoillustrateyourpoint.Youshouldwriteatleast150wordsbutnomorethan200words.PartIIListeningComprehension(30minutes)SectionADirections:Inthissection,youwillhear8shortconversationsand2longconversations.Attheendofeachconversation,oneormorequestionswillbeaskedaboutwhatwassaid.Boththeconversationandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Aftereachquestiontherewillbeapause.Duringthepause,youmustreadthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD),anddecidewhichisthebestanswer.ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.1.A.Theymightbestolengoods.B.Theymightbefakeproducts.C.Theymightbefaultyproducts.D.Theymightbesmuggledgoods.2.A.Theyarecivilservants.B.Theyarejobapplicants.C.Theyarenewsreporters.D.Theyarepublicspeakers.3.A.Themanhasdecidedtoquithiscomputerclass.B.Thewomanwantstogetadegreeinadministration.C.Acomputerdegreeisamustforadministrativework.D.Themanwenttochangethetimeofhiscomputerclass.4.A.Alotofcontestantsparticipatedintheshow.B.Thefifthcontestantwonthebiggestprize.C.Itwasnotasexcitingashehadexpected.D.Itwassponsoredbyacarmanufacturer.5.A.Readinganewspapercolumn.B.Lookingatarailwaytimetable.C.DrivingfromNewYorktoBoston.D.Waitingforsomeoneattheairport.6.A.Hewearsacoatboughtinthemall.B.Hegotanewjobatthebarbershop.C.Hehadafingerhurtlastnight.D.Hehadhishaircutyesterday.7.A.HecannotappreciatethePicassoexhibition.B.EvenhisnephewcandrawaswellasPicasso.C.Heisnotquiteimpressedwithmodernpaintings.D.Somedrawingsbykindergartenkidsareexcellent.8.A.Heshouldnotputthecartbeforethehorse.B.Hisconductdoesnotsquarewithhiswords.C.Hisattitudetostudentgovernmenthaschanged.D.Hehaslongbeeninvolvedinstudentgovernment.Questions9to11arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.9.A.SheleftherowncarinManchester.B.Somethingwentwrongwithhercar.C.Shewantstogotravelingontheweekend.D.Hercarwon’tbebackinaweek’stime.10.A.Safety.B.Comfort.C.Size.D.Cost.11.A.Third-partyinsurance.B.Value-addedtax.C.Petrol.D.CDW.Questions12to15arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.12.A.Howtoupdatethebasicfacilities.B.Whattodotoenhancetheirposition.C.Wheretolocatetheirplant.D.Howtoattractinvestments.13.A.TheirroadlinktootherEuropeancountriesisfast.B.TheyarealllocatedinthesouthofFrance.C.Theyareveryclosetoeachother.D.Theirbasicfacilitiesaregood.14.A.Trytoavoidmakingahastydecision.B.Takeadvantageofthetrainlinks.C.Talkwiththelocalauthorities.D.Conductfieldsurveysfirst.15.A.Futureproductdistribution.B.Localemploymentpolicies.C.Roadandraillinksforsmalltowns.D.Skilledworkforceinthehillyregion.SectionBDirections:Inthissection,youwillhear3shortpassages.Attheendofeachpassage,youwillhearsomequestions.Boththepassageandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C),andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.PassageOneQuestions16to18arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.16.A.Onefifthofthemwereonbadtermswiththeirsistersandbrothers.B.Aboutoneeighthofthemadmittedtolingeringbitterfeelings.C.Morethanhalfofthemwereinvolvedininheritancedisputes.D.Mostofthemhadbrokenwiththeirsistersandbrothers.17.A.Lessconcernwithmoneymatters.B.Moreexperienceinworldlyaffairs.C.Advanceinage.D.Freedomfromwork.18.A.Theyhavelittletimelefttorenewcontactwiththeirbrothersandsisters.B.Theytendtoforgetpastunhappymemoriesandfocusontheirpresentneeds.C.Theyaremoretolerantofoneanother.D.Theyfindcloserelativesmorereliable.PassageTwoQuestions19to22arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.19.A.Theyhavebrightcolorsandintricatepatterns.B.TheycanonlysurviveinpartsoftheAmericas.C.Theyaretheonlyinsectthatmigratesalongfixedroutes.D.Theyhavestrongwingscapableofflyinglongdistances.20.A.InaMichiganmountainforest.B.InaLouisianamountainforest.C.InaKentuckymountainforest.D.InaMexicanmountainforest.21.A.Eachflockofbutterflieslayseggsinthesamestates.B.Theystarttolayeggswhentheyareninemonthsold.C.Eachgenerationinacyclelayseggsatadifferentplace.D.Onlythestrongestcanreachtheirdestinationtolayeggs.22.A.Evolutionofmonarchbutterflies.B.Livinghabitsofmonarchbutterflies.C.Migrationpatternsofmonarchbutterflies.D.Environmentalimpactsonmonarchbutterflylife.PassageThreeQuestions23to25arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.23.A.Timehasbecomemorelimited.B.Timehasbecomemoreprecious.C.Timeismoney.D.Timeisrelative.24.A.Americansnowattachmoreimportancetotheeffectiveuseoftime.B.Americanstodayhavemorefreetimethanearliergenerations.C.ThenumberofhoursAmericansworkhasincreasedsteadily.D.MoreandmoreAmericansfeelpressedfortimenowadays.25.A.Ourinterpersonalrelationshipsimprove.B.Ourworkefficiencyincreasesgreatly.C.Ourlivinghabitsarealtered.D.Ourbehaviorischanged.SectionCDirections:Inthissection,youwillhearapassagethreetimes.Whenthepassageisreadforthefirsttime,youshouldlistencarefullyforitsgeneralidea.Whenthepassageisreadforthesecondtime,youarerequiredtofillintheblankswiththeexactwordsyouhavejustheard.Finally,whenthepassageisreadforthethirdtime,youshouldcheckwhatyouhavewritten.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。ThefirstcopyrightlawintheUnitedStateswaspassedbyCongressin1790.In1976Congressenactedthelatestcopyrightlaw,26thetechnologicaldevelopmentsthathadoccurredsincethepassageoftheCopyrightActof1909.Forexample,in1909,anyonewhowantedtomakeasinglecopyofa27workforpersonalusehadtodosobyhand.Theveryprocess28alimitationonthequantityofmaterialscopied.Today,aphotocopiercandotheworkinseconds;thelimitationhasdisappeared.The1909lawdidnotprovidefullprotectionforfilmsandsoundrecordings,nordidit29theneedtoprotectradioandtelevision.Asaresult,30ofthelawandabusesoftheintentofthelawhavelessenedthe31rewardsofauthors,artists,andproducers.The1976CopyrightActhasnotpreventedtheseabusesfully,butithasclarifiedthelegalrightsoftheinjuredpartiesandgiventheman32forremedy.Since1976theActhasbeen33toincludecomputersoftware,andguidelineshavebeenadoptedforfairuseoftelevisionbroadcasts.Thesechangeshaveclearedupmuchoftheconfusionandconflictthatfollowed34the1976legislation.Thefinepointsofthelawaredecidedbythecourtsandbyacceptablecommonpracticeovertime.Asthesedecisionsandagreementsaremade,wemodifyourbehavioraccordingly.Fornow,weneedto35thelawanditsguidelinesasaccuratelyaswecanandtoactinafairmanner.PartIIIReadingComprehension(40minutes)SectionADirections:Inthissection,thereisapassagewithtenblanks.Youarerequiredtoselectonewordforeachblankfromalistofchoicesgiveninawordbankfollowingthepassage.Readthepassagethroughcarefullybeforemakingyourchoices.Eachchoiceinthebankisidentifiedbyaletter.PleasemarkthecorrespondingletterforeachitemonAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Youmaynotuseanyofthewordsinthebankmorethanonce.Questions36to45arebasedonthefollowingpassage.Forinvestorswhodesirelowriskandguaranteedincome,USgovernmentbondsareasecureinvestmentbecausethesebondshavethefinancialbackingandfullfaithandcreditofthefederalgovernment.Municipalbonds,alsosecure,areofferedbylocalgovernmentsandoftenhave36suchastax-freeinterest.Somemayevenbe37.Corporatebondsareabitmorerisky.Twoquestionsoften38first-timecorporatebondinvestors.Thefirstis“IfIpurchaseacorporatebond,doIhavetoholdituntilthematuritydate?”Theanswerisno.Bondsareboughtandsolddailyon39securitiesexchanges.However,ifyoudecidetosellyourbondbeforeitsmaturitydate,you’renotguaranteedtogetthefacevalueofthebond.Forexample,ifyourbonddoesnothave40thatmakeitattractivetootherinvestors,youmaybeforcedtosellyourbondata41,i.e.,apricelessthanthebond’sfacevalue.Butifyourbondishighlyvaluedbyotherinvestors,youmaybeabletosellitatapremium,i.e.,apriceaboveitsfacevalue.Bondpricesgenerally42inversely(相反地)withcurrentmarketinterestrates.Asinterestratesgoup,bondpricesfall,andviceversa(反之亦然).Thus,likeallinvestments,bondshaveadegreeofrisk.Thesecondquestionis“HowcanI43theinvestmentriskofaparticularbondissue?”Standard&Poor’sandMoody’sInvestorsServiceratethelevelofriskofmanycorporateandgovernmentbonds.And44,thehigherthemarketriskofabond,thehighertheinterestrate.Investorswillinvestinabondconsideredriskyonlyifthe45returnishighenough.A）advantagesF）discountK）insuredB）assessG）embarrassL）majorC）botherH）featuresM）naturallyD）conservedI）fluctuateN）potentialE）deductionJ）indefiniteO）simultaneouslySectionBDirections:Inthissection,youaregoingtoreadapassagewithtenstatementsattachedtoit.Eachstatementcontainsinformationgiveninoneoftheparagraphs.Identifytheparagraphfromwhichtheinformationisderived.Youmaychooseaparagraphmorethanonce.Eachparagraphismarkedwithaletter.AnswerthequestionsbymarkingthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2.LessonsFromaFeministParadiseA)Onthesurface,Swedenappearstobeafeministparadise.LookatanyglobalsurveyofgenderequalityandSwedenwillbenearthetop.Family-friendlypoliciesareitsnorm--with16monthsofpaidparentalleave,specialprotectionsforpart-timeworkers,andstate-subsidizedpreschoolswhere,accordingtoagovernmentwebsite,“gender-awarenesseducationisincreasinglycommon.”Duetoanunofficialquotasystem,womenhold45percentofpositionsintheSwedishparliament.TheyhaveenjoyedtheprotectionofgovernmentagencieswithtitlesliketheMinistryofIntegrationandGenderEqualityandtheSecretariatofGenderResearch.SowhyareAmericanwomensofaraheadoftheirSwedishcounterpartsinbreakingthroughtheglassceiling?B)Ina2012report,theWorldEconomicForumfoundthatwhenitcomestoclosingthegendergapin“economicparticipationandopportunity,”theUnitedStatesisaheadofnotonlySwedenbutalsoFinland,Denmark,theNetherlands,Iceland,Germany,andtheUnitedKingdom.Sweden’srankinthereportcanlargelybeexplainedbyitspoliticalquotasystem.ThoughtheUnitedStateshasfewerwomenintheworkforce(68percentcomparedtoSweden’s77percent),Americanwomenwhochoosetobeemployedarefarmorelikelytoworkfull-timeandtoholdhigh-leveljobsasmanagersorprofessionals.Theyalsoownmorebusinesses,launchmorestart-ups(新创办的企业),andmoreoftenworkintraditionallymalefields.Asforbreakingthroughtheglassceilinginbusiness,Americanwomenarewellinthelead.C)WhatexplainstheAmericanadvantage?HowcanitbethatsocietieslikeSweden,wheregenderequalityisvigorouslypursuedandenforced,havefewerfemalemanagers,executives,professionals,andbusinessownersthanthelaissez-faire(自由放任的)UnitedStates?AnewstudybyCornelleconomistsFrancineBlauandLawrenceKahngivesanexplanation.D)Generousparentalleavepoliciesandreadilyavailablepart-timeoptionshaveunintendedconsequences:insteadofstrengtheningwomen’sattachmenttotheworkplace,theyappeartoweakenit.Inadditiontoa16-monthleave,aSwedishparenthastherighttoworksixhoursaday(forareducedsalary)untilhisorherchildiseightyearsold.Mothersarefarmorelikelythanfatherstotakeadvantageofthislaw.Butextendedleavesandpart-timeemploymentareknowntobeharmfultocareers--forbothgenders.Andwithwomenasecondfactorcomesintoplay:mostseemtoenjoytheflexible-timearrangement(onceknownasthe“mommytrack”)andneverfindtheirwaybacktofull-timeorhigh-levelemployment.Insum:generousfamily-friendlypoliciesdokeepmorewomeninthelabormarket,buttheyalsotendtodiminishtheircareers.E)AccordingtoBlauandKahn,Swedish-stylepaternal(父亲的)leavepoliciesandflexible-timearrangementsposeasecondthreattowomen’sprogress:theymakeemployerscautiousabouthiringwomenforfull-timepositionsatall.Offeringajobtoamanisthesaferbet.Heisfarlesslikelytotakeayearofparentalleaveandthenreturnonareducedworkscheduleforthenexteightyears.F)Ibecameawareofthetrialsofcareer-focusedEuropeanwomenafewyearsagowhenImetapost-doctoralstudentfromGermanywhowasthenavisitingfellowatJohnsHopkins.ShewasastonishedbytheprofessionalpossibilitiesaffordedtoyoungAmericanwomen.HerbesthopeinGermanywasagovernmentjob-prospectsforwomenintheprivatesectorweredim.“InGermany,”shetoldme,“wehaveallthebenefits,butemployersdon’twanttohireus.”G)SwedisheconomistsMagnusHenreksonandMikaelStenkulaaddressedthefollowingquestionintheir2009study:whyaretheresofewfemaletopexecutivesintheEuropeanegalitarian(平等主义的)welfarestates?Theiranswer:“Broad-basedwelfare-statepolicieshinderwomen’srepresentationinelitecompetitivepositions.”H)ItistemptingtodeclaretheSwedishpoliciesregressive(退步的)andhailtheAmericansystemassuperior.Butthatwouldbeshortsighted.TheSwedescancertainlytakealessonfromtheUnitedStatesandlookforwaystoclearapathfortheirambitiousfemalecareerists.Butmostwomenarenotcommittedcareerists.WhenthePewResearchCenterrecentlyaskedAmericanparentstoidentifytheir“ideal”lifearrangement,47percentofmotherssaidtheywouldprefertoworkpart-timeand20percentsaidtheywouldprefernottoworkatall.Fathersanswereddifferently:75percentpreferredfull-timework.SomeversionoftheSwedishsystemmightworkwellforamajorityofAmericanparents,buttheUnitedStatesisunlikelytofullyembracetheSwedishmodel.Still,wecanlearnfromtheirexperience.I)Despiteitsfailuretoshattertheglassceiling,Swedenhasoneofthemostpowerfulandinnovativeeconomiesintheworld.Inits2011-2012survey,theWorldEconomicForumrankedSwedenastheworld’sthirdmostcompetitiveeconomy;theUnitedStatescameinfifth.Sweden,dubbedthe“rockstaroftherecovery”intheWashingtonPost,alsoleadstheworldinlifesatisfactionandhappiness.Itisasocietywellworthstudying,anditseffortstoconquerthegendergapimpartavitallesson--thoughnotthelessontheSwedeshadinmind.J)Swedenhasgonefartherthananyothernationonearthtointegratethesexesandtoofferwomenthesameopportunitiesandfreedomsasmen.Fordecades,thesedescendantsoftheVikingshavebeentryingtoshowtheworldthattherightmixofenlightenedpolicy,consciousnessraising,andnon-sexistchildrearingwouldclosethegenderdivideonceandforall.Yetthedividepersists.K)A2012pressreleasefromStatisticsSwedenbearsthetitle“GenderEqualityinSwedenTreading(踩)Water”andnotes:Thetotalincomefromemploymentforallagesislowerforwomenthanformen.Oneinthreeemployedwomenandoneintenemployedmenworkpart-time.Women’sworkingtimeisinfluencedbythenumberandageoftheirchildren,butmen’sworkingtimeisnotaffectedbythesefactors.Ofallemployees,only13percentofthewomenand12percentofthemenhaveoccupationswithanevendistributionofthesexes.L)Confrontedwithsuchfacts,someSwedishactivistsandlegislatorsaredemandingmoreextremeandfar-reachingmeasures,suchasreplacingmaleandfemalepronounswithaneutralalternativeandmonitoringchildrenmorecloselytocorrectthemwhentheygravitate(被吸引)towardgenderedplay.Whenitcametolightlastyearthatmothers,farmorethanfathers,chosetostayhomefromworktocarefortheirsickkids,UlfKristersson,ministerofsocialsecurity,quicklycommissionedastudytodeterminethecausesofandpossiblecuresforthisdisturbingstateofaffairs.M)Swedishfamilypolicies,byaccommodatingwomen’spreferenceseffectively,arereducingthenumberofwomeninelitecompetitivepositions.TheSwedeswillfindthisparadoxicalandtrytofindsolutions.Letushopethesedonotincludebanninggenderpronouns,policingchildren’splay,implementingmoregenderquotas,ortreatingwomen’sspecialattachmenttohomeandfamilyasasocialinjustice.Mostmothersdonotaspireto(向往)elite,competitivefull-timepositions:theSwedishpolicieshavegiventhemthefreedomandopportunitytolivethelivestheyprefer.AmericansshouldlookpastthegenderrhetoricandconsiderwhattheseScandinavianshaveachieved.Ontheirwaytocreatingafeministparadise,theSwedeshaveunintentionallycreatedahaven(避风港)fornormalmortals.46.Swedenhasdonemorethanothernationstoclosethegendergap,butitcontinuestoexist.47.Swedenisoneofthemostcompetitiveeconomiesintheworldanditspeopleenjoythegreatestlifesatisfaction.48.MoreAmericanwomenholdelitejobpositionsinbusinessthanSwedishwomen.49.Swedishfamily-friendlypoliciestendtoexertanegativeinfluenceonwomen’scareers.50.ThequotasysteminSwedenensureswomen’sbetterrepresentationingovernment.51.ThoughtheSwedishmodelappearsworkableformostAmericanparents,itmaynotbeacceptedbytheminitsentirety.52.Swedishwomenareallowedthefreedomandopportunitytochoosetheirownwayoflife.53.Swedishemployersarehesitantabouthiringwomenforfull-timepositionsbecauseofthefamily-friendlypolicies.54.Gender-awarenesseducationisbecomingmoreandmorepopularinstate-subsidizedpreschoolsinSweden.55.SomelawmakersinSwedenproposethatgenderlesspronounsbeusedintheSwedishlanguage.SectionCDirections:Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestionsorunfinishedstatements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).YoushoulddecideonthebestchoiceandmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.PassageOneQuestions56to60arebasedonthefollowingpassage.Textinghaslongbeenbemoaned(哀叹)asthedownfallofthewrittenword,“penmanshipforilliterates,”asonecriticcalledit.TowhichtheproperresponseisLOL.Textingproperlyisn’twritingatall.It’sa“spoken”languagethatisgettingricherandmorecomplexbytheyear.First,somehistoricalperspective.Writingwasonlyinvented5500yearsago,whereaslanguageprobablytracesbackatleast80000years.Thustalkingcamefirst;writingisjustacraftthatcamealonglater.Assuch,thefirstwritingwasbasedonthewaypeopletalk,withshortsentences.However,whiletalkingislargelysubconsciousandrapid,writingisdeliberateandslow.Overtime,writerstookadvantageofthisandstartedcraftinglong-windedsentencessuchasthisone:“Thewholeengagementlastedabove12hours,tillthegradualretreatofthePersianswaschangedintoadisorderlyflight,ofwhichtheshamefulexamplewasgivenbytheprincipalleadersand...”Noonetalkslikethatcasually—orshould.Butitisnaturaltodesiretodosoforspecialoccasions.Intheolddays,wedidn’tmuchwriteliketalkingbecausetherewasnomechanismtoreproducethespeedofconversation.Buttextingandinstantmessagingdo—andarevolutionhasbegun.Itinvolvesthecrudemechanicsofwriting,butinitseconomy,spontaneityandevenvulgarity,textingisactuallyanewkindoftalking,withitsownkindofgrammarandconventions.TakeLOL.Itdoesn’tactuallymean“laughingoutloud”inaliteralsenseanymore.LOLhasevolvedintosomethingmuchsubtlerandsophisticatedandisusedevenwhennothingisremotelyamusing.Jocelyntexts“Wherehaveyoubeen?”andAnnabelletextsback“LOLatthelibrarystudyingfortwohours.”LOLsignalsbasicempathy(同感)betweentexters,easingtensionandcreatingasenseofequality.Insteadofhavingaliteralmeaning,itdoessomething—conveyinganattitude—justlikethe-edendingconveyspasttenseratherthan“meaning”anything.LOL,ofallthings,isgrammar.Ofcoursenoonethinksaboutthatconsciously.Butthenmostofcommunicationoperateswithoutbeingnoticed.Overtime,themeaningofawordoranexpressiondrifts—meatusedtomeananykindoffood,sillyusedtomean,believeitornot,blessed.Civilization,then,isfine—peoplebangingawayontheirsmartphonesarefluentlyusingacodeseparatefromtheonetheyuseinactualwriting,andthereisnoevidencethattextingisruiningcompositionskills.Worldwidepeoplespeakdifferentlyfromthewaytheywrite,andtexting—quick,casualandonlyintendedtobereadonceisactuallyawayoftalkingwithyourfingers.56.Whatdocriticssayabouttexting?A.Itismainlyconfinedtoyoungsters.B.Itcompeteswithtraditionalwriting.C.Itwillruinthewrittenlanguage.D.Itisoftenhardtounderstand.57.Inwhatwaydoestheauthorsaywritingisdifferentfromtalking?A.Itiscraftedwithspecificskills.B.Itexpressesideasmoreaccurately.C.Itdoesnothaveaslongahistory.D.Itisnotaseasytocomprehend.58.WhyisLOLmuchusedintexting?A.Itbringstextersclosertoeachother..B.Itshowsthetexter’ssophistication.C.ItisatrendywaytocommunicateD.Itaddstothehumorofthetext.Exampleslikemeatandsillyarecitedtoshow______.A.thedifferencebetweenwritingandtalkingB.howdifferentlywordsareusedintextingC.whypeopleusethewordsthewaytheydoD.thegradualchangeofwordmeaning60.Whatdoestheauthorthinkoftexting?A.Itfacilitatesexchangeofideasamongpeople.B.Itisanewformofverbalcommunication.C.Itdeterioratespeople’scompositionskills.D.Ithastensthedeclineofthewrittenword.PassageTwoQuestions61to65arebasedonthefollowingpassage.It’spossibletoadmireOprahWinfreyandstillwishHarvardhadn’tawardedheranhonorarydoctoroflawdegreeandthecommencement(毕业典礼)speakerspotatyesterday’sgraduation.There’snoquestionOprah’sachievementsplaceherinthetempleofAmericansuccessstories.Honorarydegreesareoftenconferredonnon-academicleadersinthearts,business,andpolitics.Harvard’slistinrecentyearshasincludedKofiAnnan,BillGates,MerylStreep,andDavidSouter.ButOprah’sparticularbrandofcelebrityisnotagoodfitforthevaluesofauniversitywhosemotto(座右铭),Veritas,meanstruth.Oprah’spassionateadvocacyextends,unfortunately,toaheartyembraceoffakescience.Mostnotoriously,Oprah’svalidationofJennyMeCarthy’sclaimthatvaccinescauseautism(自闭症)hasnodoubtcontributedtomuchharmthroughthefoolishavoidanceofvaccines.Famouspeopleareentitledtoafewfailings,liketherestofus,andthechoiceofcommencementspeakersoftenreflectsabalanceofinstitutionalprioritiesandaspirations.Judgingfromourconversationswithmanystudents,Oprahwasawidelypopularchoice.ButthisvoteofconfidenceinOprahsendsatroublingmessageatpreciselythetimewhenAmericanuniversitiesneedtodomoretoadvancethecauseofreason.AsformerDeanofHarvardCollege,HarryLewis,notedinablogpostabouthisobjections,“ItseemsveryoddforHarvardtohonorsuchahighprofilepopularizeroftheirrational..,atatimewhenpoliticalandreligiousnonsensesojeopardizetheruleofreasoninthisallegedlyenlighteneddemocracyandaroundtheworld.”AsAmerica’soldestandmostvisibleuniversity,